University Heights City Council appoints Mark N. Wiseman to vacant council seat

Mark N. Wiseman, a 25-year resident of University Heights, was sworn in as the city’s newest councilman at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, at University Heights City Hall.

In a press release from the City of University Heights dated Feb. 14, and received by the Heights Observer the morning of Feb. 15, Frankie Goldberg, vice mayor, announced the appointment of Wiseman to fill the council seat left vacant by the death of Councilman Thomas A. Cozzens on Jan. 17.

Wiseman, a lawyer, applied for the position on Jan. 27. He has held several public service positions, including director of the Cuyahoga County Foreclosure Prevention Program, Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Section and member of the Federal Reserve Board’s Consumer Advisory Council.

Currently, Wiseman is the principal of Wiseman Consulting, LLC, which has Cleveland’s Neighborhood Progress Inc. and Neighborhood Housing Services as its clients. He also served on the 2008 Charter Review Committee for the City of University Heights.

According to Kelly Thomas, University Heights clerk of council, 19 residents applied for the open council seat by the Feb. 1 deadline. Members of city council selected seven finalists to interview, one of whom removed himself from consideration before being interviewed.

A second, ceremonial swearing-in for Wiseman was administered at the next regularly scheduled University Heights City Council meeting, on Feb. 19.

A special remembrance for Councilman Cozzens was observed during the same city council meeting.

According to the University Heights City Charter, the city council is required to fill a council vacancy within 30 days. If council does not fill the vacancy within that time frame, the mayor instead makes the appointment.

Kim Sergio Inglis

Kim Sergio Inglis is editor-in-chief of the Heights Observer. She lives in the Shaker Farm Historic District in Cleveland Heights.